As the demand for caregivers grows with the aging of the population, home care providers depend more and more on millennial employees and Generation Z. The expansion of the workforce is essential for an industry harassed by the shortage of the workforce, but the suppliers do not update their approaches to recruitment and retention, they run the risk of losing valuable employees.
To attract and retain the millennial and generation workers in the home, suppliers offer specialized benefits and implementing new recruitment strategies, including social networks and gamification, to address the “invisible” nature of home care work.
“We have discovered that millenary caregivers are driven by the purpose, flexibility and professional growth,” said the CEO of the Missioncare collective, Brandi Kurtyka, Home Health Care News. “Unlike previous generations that may have prioritized job security and long tenure, millennials seek alignment with the mission of an organization, because to feel valuable day by day and wait for a clear path for development.”
Missioncare Collective, located in San Petersburg, Florida, is a personnel and recruitment company focused on caregivers and the parent company of MycNajobs and Coachup Care.
Generation Z, currently from 13 to 28 years old, and millennials, from 29 to 44 years old, are often grouped. However, there are key differences between the two that affect the way suppliers must approach the hiring, training, incorporation, recognition and management
Companies that work to improve retention and recruitment have launched specific initiatives and have made cultural changes to better meet the expectations of each generation. Otherwise, suppliers run the risk of greater rotation and decreased productivity, agreed to the Sorenson Impact Institute at the University of Utah.
Younger generations can also be less likely to join companies that do not prioritize their specific needs and values.
“Millennials is more likely to look for colleagues who value contributions and sacrifice a better balance between work and life, which leads to higher billing rates if your current employer does not meet your needs,” reads an article by Sorenson Impact.
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Increased flexibility
The employees of the Z and Millennial generation see themselves as more than their work, and they want their employers to recognize it. According to the World Economic Forum, 73% of the employees of the Z generation prefer permanently flexible work options. This may imply a combination of remote work from home responsibilities and at the site, a four -day work week or allow employees to choose their work hours.
“Young caregivers are looking for flexibility,” Kerin Zuger, Caretch operations director, told HHCN. “You’ll attract [workers] With flexibility, but you also have to understand your needs. ”
Caretech, an independent home care company based in OMAHA, Nebraska, offers a range of non -medical services that include personal care, company and domestic assistance. The company serves customers in Nebraska, Wyoming and Iowa.
Making additional effort to ensure that home care workers have flexibility contributes significantly to build not only retention but also confidence and loyalty, Zuger said. She recommends offering flexible changes and asking if they prefer regular shifts or if they want to be on duty. This type of flexibility can demonstrate to a large extent that suppliers value their lives outside work and support the balance between work and life.
“[These generations] They are driving mission, but they can’t pour an empty cup, “Kurtyka said.” Employers who build a structure around their well -being, emotional, financial and professional not only retain them but help them prosper. ”
Combine employee values
Employees of the Z and Millennial generation often prioritize the search for meaning in their roles of care and may be more inclined to seek employment that provides a sense of purpose or connection, according to activated ideas. They tend to value the work that allows them to develop personal skills, improve the lives of those in need and encourage creativity.
Millennials may have won university titles Duration of challenging economic times and, therefore, of value gain potential, a generous benefits and a registration reimbursement.
His younger classmates, on the other hand, can look for other benefits.
“In my experience, the employees of the Z generation are not entirely in the age when they care so much about the benefits,” Zuger said. “They do not think so in advance. They like the idea of gamification and incentives. It can relate to them through culture and flexibility. However, millennials are a bit different. Are they looking for benefits. 401 (K)?
Professional development is also a common priority between generation Z and millennials. However, growth does not always mean getting a nursing title or climbing a clinical staircase, Kurtyka said. For many, it is about improving their skills to better serve customers, gain confidence in their roles or access the roads to higher salaries.
Recruit and retain the youngest workforce to an “invisible” industry
Millennial workers and Z generation interested in medical care or actively enrolled in related educational programs are more likely to follow care roles, according to Kurtyka, thinking suppliers may have difficulty finding employees outside those categories.
“The care roles, special in home care, are often ‘invisible works’ for those outside the industry,” Kurtyka said. “Many young adults simply do not know that these opportunities exist unless they have had a personal care experience or have exhibited through school or work. For millennials who are still early in their careers, this lack or the path of medical care of visibility, they are much more likely to recognize the care of viable and meaningful work.”
According to Zuger, attracting the youngest workforce requires creativity due to this “invisibility.”
“Involving them on a social media platform is an excellent way to get their attention,” Zuger said. “We recruit through fun dances in the Tick. We also use Shake Shake. Use the channel on which the youngest generations depend for the work, which is through their parents, counselors, schools or the web.”
When combined to retain younger employees, Zuger said Caretech uses many of the same strategies he used to hire them.
“It’s flexibility in staff. It’s praise. They want praise,” he said. “The opportunity to advance is also vital for caregivers.”
Zuger declared that many organizations must accept the reality that young workers will not remain for life, and that is fine.
“They do a good job and are reliable, but they are younger and advance in their careers,” he said. “We provide opportunities such as certifications, refund for schooling and progress. People have the advantage of their tasks opportunities for us, which allows them to continue as caregivers while planning their next role.
Kurtyka agreed and pointed out that he has observed many ways in which this youngest workforce can take advantage of her care experience.
“Through MycNajobs, we have seen many human resources students or social jobs work as caregivers while completing their titles,” Kurtyka said. “They are still deeply committed to quality care, but they also value transferable skills such as communication, leadership and problem solving.”
Emerging workforce training
The training and incorporation of the next generation of caregivers is not as simple as using the same strategies used for the first generations
The differences in communication styles, advances in technology and variable approaches to authority and management may need to adopt a different approach to training that what many managers experienced when entering the workforce, agreed to activated ideas.
“Age groups like to be handled differently,” Zuger explained. “Millennials or older people expect regimented training processes and work preparation. Because policies and procedures in black and white. The issue of things and needs is part of relationship construction.
Zuger said that using empathy, leading with emotion and guiding the gene generation to solutions, instead of simply telling them the answers, is a better way of working with them compared to millennials.
According to activated ideas, a common complaint about work with young generations is that they do not seem to respect authority. However, his research shows that the truth is that they generally respect the reasoned arguments rather than the authority for their own good.
“Rethinking how it is on board, guides and trains a younger generation,” Zuger said. “Much of this is about emotional intelligence and how to work through some of the different types of commitment, work with people one by one and look them in the eye. Those are the types of skills that are exclusive to train the youngest generation.”
Duration training, clarify the “why” behind reason, according to the ideas activated, instead of “withdrawing the range.”
Younger employee management
Younger caregivers face a unique and little recognized combination of emotional, financial and systemic pressures, according to Kurtyka. Many juggle with student debt, economic instability, mental health challenges and care responsibilities within their own families while working on roles that demand deep emotional energy and resilience.
According to the investigation of the Missioncare collective, caregivers are three times more likely to experience anxiety and depression, which makes emotional well -being a critical area of Conern. These challenges are capricious by nature often insulating in home attention positions and the absence of traditional work structure or peer connections.
To genuinely support younger employees, employers must go beyond the basics, according to Kurtyka. She suggests cultivating a culture that prioritizes emotional support, providing opportunities for financing workforce, such as well -being reimbursement to help relieve financial tension and invest in professional growth. When employers cannot pay more, they can encourage a culture that drives the results, said Kurtyka.
